The Blood of Someone Special
by Sammysmissingshoe
Summary: Alternate ending to First Born. (You'll need to see that episode for this to make sense.) Cas kept extracting the grace, and they were able to track down Gadreel and Metatron. Sam deals with Gadreel and Castiel and Dean find out some very interesting news from Metatron; how to put the angels back into heaven. T because usual Winchester language.
1. Amazing Grace

So I was just chilling, you know, watching Supernatural, and then this little idea popped into my head. "What if Cas had kept extracting the grace from Sam?" Then this WHOLE plot developed in my head and I was like, "HOLY FRIGGIN CRAP I NEED TO WRITE THIS!" This is definitely an AU for the episode First Born. Let's pretend Cas had gotten enough grace and they find Gadreel. Some dialogue is borrowed from the episode, but I tried to be as original as possible. If I owned Supernatural, Sam wouldn't be acting like such a jerk to Dean in the current episodes. This story is kind of an excuse to get the brothers to make up, face Gadreel and Metatron, and throw in some Hurt!Sam and Protective!Dean cuz that's how I roll.

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><p>Blood flowed freely from Sam's nose, and a small streak had even escaped his eye as well. He had grown too weary to scream any further.<p>

Castiel looked down at his suffering friend. He then looked back at the unfinished peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Memories of being human flashed in his head.

He remembered hunger, he remembered pain, he remembered dying, and he remembered how to care. He cared about Kevin, he cared about Dean, and he cared about Sam. Sam was much more important than finding one loose-cannon angel.

"Cas," A weak voice brought Castiel back to the present. "Whatever… you're thinking… forget it." Sam spoke in long pauses trying to catch his breath. "We… have to find… Gadreel... If losing me is… is what it costs… fine."

"Sam, we can find Gadreel some other way. The damage that this is causing you-"

"Who cares?!" Sam tried to shout, but in his weakened state, it was more like an irritated whine. "Anything that… happens to… to me… you can fix."

Sam locked eyes with Castiel. Even full of tears, Sam's eyes had a fire roaring beneath them, screaming determination. "Keep… going." Sam pleaded.

The angel sighed and forced himself to push the needle further into Sam's neck. Sam groaned, but it soon turned into several pained gasps as Castiel continued to extract more grace.

Breathing became difficult and Sam forced himself not to instinctively rip out the needle. He gripped the sides of the chair as his muscles began to tense and spasm.

He was too tired to scream, causing several pained grunts to pass his mouth, and he finally fell unconscious.

* * *

><p>"…Believe me, I've tried." Crowley continued. Dean rolled his eyes.<p>

"_Is the King of Hell seriously giving me a pep talk right now?" _Dean thought. _"Well since you don't have anyone else around, seeing as how you pushed them all away, it doesn't leave you with a lot of options does it? Oh shut up." _His inner thoughts argued.

"Just worry about finding that damn blade, huh Crowley?" Dean hissed, angrier at his own mind than anything else.

"Aye-aye Captain. If you'll excuse me, I'll be scouring the depths of the ocean." Crowley raised his hand to snap his fingers.

"Hey, isn't the ocean-" Dean stopped as he heard the snap. "Made of salt water." He added to himself.

"_Ha, good luck with that salt-water, Crowley. Hey it's better luck than you have."_ He reminded himself as he glanced down at Cain's souvenir. _"Oh shut up."_

His thoughts were soon interrupted as he heard his phone going off from his pocket. He pulled it out and looked at the caller I.D. _"Mood killer with wings." _Dean chuckled at himself and flipped the phone open.

"Hey Cas. What's going on?"

"_Dean, we've got him."_

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><p>Castiel began to pull out the needle, finally deciding that there was enough grace.<p>

"Hang on. This may pinch." He told a zoned out and bleeding Sam. Sam made nothing more than a small wince as the needle was pulled out of him neck. As soon as it was out, he started to stand.

He sat himself up and pushed up to his feet, but he was too exhausted to support his weight, and tumbled to the floor.

"Sam!" Castiel started to hurry towards him.

"Get… get the spell." He wheezed and it quickly turned into a coughing fit .He brought his hands up to his mouth, not surprised to feel blood rising in his throat and spilling out his lips.

Castiel ignored Sam's request and bent over him, and placed two fingers on Sam's forehead. Sam's bloody mouth went open in a silent scream. Once Cas removed his hand Sam instantly shot up, all previous wounds gone.

"Cas, what the hell was that?" Sam asked as he subconsciously reached for his neck.

"I've healed all your wounds." Castiel stated.

"I've noticed. And the grace?"

"Whatever was left of Gadreel is gone now. It is all inside here now." He said gesturing to the needle. "How are you feeling, Sam?"

"I'm fine. Are we gonna do this, or not?"

Castiel nodded. He headed over to the table where the bowl sat, waiting for one ingredient. Castiel poured the grace into the bowl, and they waited.

"Did it work?" Sam asked starting to get impatient.

"There." Castiel said, his monotonous voice showing the slightest hint of enthusiasm. "That must be where Gadreel is."

"Awesome, let's go after him." Sam exclaimed.

"Sam," Castiel interrupted Sam's attempts to leave. "We need to tell Dean."

Sam opened his mouth to protest, but he knew Dean was as determined to stop Gadreel as he was.

"Okay, but you gotta call him. He won't answer if he knows it's me."

Castiel nodded and reached inside his trench coat pocket. He stared at the mobile device in confusion until Sam finally did the dialing for him. Cas held the phone to his ear and waited.

"_Hey Cas. What's going on?"_

"Dean, we've got him."

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><p>Sorry if my Dean or Castiel seems a little out of character. I find Cas hard to write cuz of his unique way of speaking. I find Dean hard to write cuz he's supposed to be funny, which I of course am not. At least not the same way he is. If you guys know me, you know it won't be long before an update. I already have the story hand written, I just gotta type it out. I don't need them for sustenance or anything, but reviews make me happy! Even if no one reviews at all, I'm still finishing this story. It's like smeared all over my brain like the blood in the opening of an episode. Okay that was oddly graphic…<p> 


	2. Broken Brothers

Like I said, it wouldn't be long for the next chapter. Still don't own Supernatural, but you probably figured that I couldn't suddenly own it within the half hour difference of when I posted the first chapter. Alright enough rambling, BRING OUT DA BOYS!

Dean swung his door open before the car had fully stopped. He raced through the bunker door and rand own the stairs, almost tripping in the process. He was grateful to see Castiel and Sam standing over a map, a location literally glowing off the map.

"Hey Sam." He said offering a smile.

"Hey Dean." Sam's tone showed significantly less emotion. He wasn't happy to see Dean, and that broke Dean's heart.

Dean tried to shake it off and changed the topic.

"So… how'd you guys find him?" He looked at Sam, hoping for Sam to make some kind of an effort to talk to him, but he remained silent.

"_Typical, Sammy. Even when you were a little kid; the silent treatment was always your pout of choice."_

Castiel took note of the awkward silence and spoke up.

"We were able to locate Gadreel by extracting the grace he left behind in Sam."

"Well… That sounds painful." Dean joked.

"It was." No humor was shown in Castiel's voice.

"Oh. Are you okay Sammy?"

"I'm fine Dean." Sam barely even looked toward him.

_C'mon Sammy, I'm trying as hard as I can here, give me something!"_

"We found a spell that required the grace of an angel in order to track it. We were able to pin-point his exact location."

"Which is where?"

"Boise, Idaho."

"Why Idaho?" Dean questioned.

"I assure you, I've no idea what his intentions are."

"Probably out there killing some other angel under that bastard, Metatron's, orders." Sam spat out the words as memories of Gadreel killing innocent people with _his own _hands.

"So, how about we gank that son of a bitch before he kills anyone else?" Dean offered eagerly.

"What about Metatron? Wherever Gadreel is, Metatron is probably close by." Sam pointed out.

"I advise that we split up and deal with the angels individually." Castiel suggested.

"I'll deal with Gadreel." Sam said, determination practically spewing out of him.

"Sam, you don't have to-"

"Look, Dean," Sam interjected, "Metatron is clearly the bigger problem. You'll need all the help you can get dealing with him. Gadreel is just Metatron's bitch, and I want to make him pay for the things he made me do."

"Sammy, it wasn't your fault, it wasn't-"

"I know it wasn't me Dean!" Sam shouted. "That doesn't make it any less wrong. It wasn't just Kevin and the angels, Dean! Every angel I-he- killed, that means their vessels died with them! Most of them had families! One of the angels was Gadreel's friend, but that didn't stop him, and he's never gonna stop unless we find him and end him." Sam took a shaky breath. "Now, you and Cas gotta take care of Metatron."

"We can't kill him, Sam." Cas pointed out.

"Why the hell not?" Dean snapped.

"He is the one responsible for expelling all the angels from heaven; he may be the only one capable of putting them back."

"Cas, you know he's not gonna help us." Dean reminded him.

"He will if we threaten to kill him." Sam said flatly. "He seemed pretty pleased with having heaven all to himself. He wouldn't be able to enjoy it if he's dead."

"Okay, fine. Let's say by some miracle that we get that dick with wings to help. We can't just let him go."

"Once it's over, you can kill him."

"Gladly." Dean said with a smirk.

After they had everything ready, Castiel reached out his hands, and they finally arrived. They were standing outside some kind of warehouse, angel blades at the ready.

Dean turned toward the trench coated angel. "How we looking, Cas?"

Castiel squinted his sparkling blue eyes in concentration. "I can sense two angels in there. It's definitely Gadreel and Metatron."

"I'll go in first." Sam offered. "Metatron, being the spineless dick that he is, will probably run off. No matter what's going on with me, you go after him."

"Sam-"

"No matter what, Dean."

Dean sighed unhappily and ran his fingers over his slightly scruffed face.

"Fine."

"Dean, I mean it."

"I said 'Fine' Sam!"

Sam shot Dean a wary glance. Dean wouldn't look him in the eye. Sam knew what that meant.

"_Dean's not gonna listen. He'll think I can't handle myself and come running in to save the day. I can take care of myself."_

Dean read the aggravated expression on Sam's face, but ignored it.

"_I know Sam thinks he can handle this on his own, but why can't he understand that maybe _I _can't?"_

Sam gripped the concealed weapon, and suck to the door. He looked back at his brother and the angel one last time. Sam opened the door.

And there's that cliffhanger. *Evil Metatron laughter. My huge game changer comes up in the next chapter, so brace yourselves!


	3. Wonders, Dangers, Fears and Horrors

What's that smell? It smells like… A PLOT TWIST! DUN DUN DUUUUUHHH! (Still own nothing. Seriously, I don't even have a job.)

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><p>His arrival earned him two different glances. The one from the much smaller man was one of shock and terror. The taller one was another matter.<p>

His hands were still stained red, undoubtedly from another angel he'd just murdered. Gadreel eyed Sam angrily, with a hint of a devilish smile curling at the bottom of his lips.

Gadreel had been expecting him.

Metatron had vanished almost the instant that Sam had entered. Gadreel just glared at Sam.

"You might as well fight me now. I know how to find you now. You can't run." Sam challenged.

"I have no intentions of running, boy. You are not a threat to me."

Sam smiled smugly.

"That's what you think."

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><p>"Metatron is on the run, Dean. Come on."<p>

Castiel placed his finger on Dean's forehead and Dean closed his eyes and braced himself.

When he opened his eyes, they were standing inside a building, different from the one they were outside moments ago.

"Where the hell are we, Cas?"

"I believe we are somewhere in Maine."

"Maine? Damn, that little pain in the ass can run."

Castiel and Dean started to scan the area for any signs of the runaway angel.

"Dean!" Cas shouted.

Dean hastily turned around to see Metatron attempting to attack. Dean quickly thrust the angel blade through Metatron's hand, pinning him to the wall.

As Metatron was about to yank out the sword, Castiel took his blade and shoved it through the angel's other palm. He let out a sharp yelp, but then began laughing at the hunter and the angel.

"Castiel, you're looking well. I see you're wearing some second hand grace there. How's it going for you?"

Dean raised his fist and slammed it into Metatron's face.

"Damn that felt good!" Dean exclaimed with a chuckle. "Now, I'm really not in the mood for games."

"What? You aren't having fun?" Metatron mocked as he smiled bloodily.

"Trust me, where you're concerned you don't wanna know my idea of 'fun.'"

"Yes, I've heard about your little vacation to hell. Heard you did all sorts of crazy stuff down there, didn't you Dean?"

Dean scowled slightly, and then harshly twisted the blade in the angel's hand. He let out a scream of pain, but began chuckling again.

"Touchy, touchy, Dean. Now, what can I do for you?"

Dean sneered.

"How about you tell us how to shove those flying ass-hats back into heaven?"

Metatron laughed.

"_That is really getting old." _Dean hissed in his mind.

"Didn't your little prophet friend tell you? It can't be reversed."

Before he had a chance to start laughing again, Dean shoved the blade as far as it would go into Metatron's palm.

"HIS NAME WAS KEVIN, YOU BASTARD!"

"Dean," Cas placed his hand on Dean's shoulder. "You need to step back."

"Cas, this is the son of a bitch that killed-"

"I'm well aware, Dean, but you are allowing him to get to you. Step back, and let me handle this.

Dean's hands shook with fury, but he forced himself to stand down.

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><p>Sam charged at Gadreel, blade poised above his head, ready to strike. Gadreel's hand snapped up and took hold of Sam's wrist. The angel then threw Sam to the wall. Sam's sword skittered away from him as he slammed into the side of the warehouse.<p>

"I do not understand your reasoning, Samuel." The angel looked down at Sam almost pitifully. "Why are you so insistent on destroying me?"

Sam scoffed as he pulled himself to his feet.

"It may have something to do with you possessing me, killing Kevin, and working with Metatron."

"You neglect to mention the fact that I saved you."

"I didn't ask to be saved like that. Hell, I didn't ask to be saved at all."

"Perhaps I ought to remind you just what I saved you from."

Before Sam could process what Gadreel had said, he felt a searing pain in his chest and arms. It quickly spread to the rest of his body and he fell to the floor, gasping.

His breathing was much heavier, and his coughs were much worse than what he had felt back at the bunker. He didn't even have the energy to bring up his arms to stop the blood leaking from his mouth onto the floor.

"You are very ungrateful Samuel. I saved you from all this suffering, and I can do it again. Let me in, Sam."

Sam forced himself to look up at Gadreel.

"Screw… screw you." He managed to utter between gasps.

"You may want to reconsider Samuel. And I have all the time in the world to change your mind."

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><p>"He's ready to talk, Dean." Castiel informed him after what seemed like hours of waiting. Dean hurried into the room, pleased to see Metatron gasping in pain. He was surprised, however, to see that Metatron had no wounds other than his pierced hands.<p>

"What the hell did you do to him Cas?"

"I'd rather not discuss it." Castiel admitted shamefully.

"What's… wrong… Castiel?" Don't want… your pet to… to know what you're capable of?" Metatron taunted between breaths.

"You know, Metatron, I really don't give a damn about what he did. What I do give a damn about is sticking all those angels back where they belong. So, start talking."

Metatron glared at Dean, but (again) started smiling.

"That doesn't look like talking." Dean spat.

"Dean, Dean, Dean" The angel huffed, shaking his head. "When I said the spell was irreversible, that wasn't completely true."

"Yeah, so I gathered."

"Let me finish, boy. Now, you can open the gates to heaven again, but it requires the blood of someone special."

"How much? And special how?"

"All of it. And it has to be the blood of someone who has seen the wonders of heaven, the dangers of Purgatory, the fears of hell, and the horrors of Lucifer's cage."

Metatron stopped, allowing it to sink into Dean's head.

"Oh, God. Sammy."

"Thatta boy, Deany! Now you know why I didn't bother telling you. You'd never sacrifice your brother. Well, not again anyway. You already made that mistake one too many times."

Dean started to charge towards Metatron, but Castiel placed a warning hand on Dean, shaking his head.

"I'm surprised you hadn't figured it out sooner."

"Figure out what?" Castiel asked, giving Dean a moment to calm down.

"Why Gadreel was so interested in Sammy. He's an even older angel than I am. He was around when God commanded me to write the tablets. Word must've traveled about how to reopen the gates of heaven. Sure, it probably didn't make any sense at the time, but once he was set free from his eternal prison, he high tailed it right on over to baby brother. As long as Gadreel had control over Sam, there was no way he'd let Sam sacrifice himself to open heaven back up. It would get Gadreel sent right back to prison."

"Dean," Castiel finally said after several minutes had passed, "I've been to all those places. We could use me."

"Sorry, buddy." Metatron interrupted. "Has to be human blood. And little Sammy's the only human capable of doing it. Good try though, Castiel."

Castiel and Dean just stood in disbelief.

"Oh, by the way, big mistake leaving Sam with Gadreel again."

"Wait, why?" Dean asked. Metatron just looked at Dean with a smile so cocky, it made Dean want to rip his lips off. He grabbed the angel by the collar and shook him viciously.

"WHY?!"

"Samuel got away from him once. You really think Gadreel is just gonna let him go again?"

Dean stepped back and held his head between his hands. His mossy green eyes sparkled as tears began to form. His lip trembled in fear.

"If Sam finds out what he can do, he'd do it in a heartbeat. But Gadreel's not gonna let that happen." Metatron continued. "Now that Gadreel's got his hands on him, there's _nothing _that he won't do to get him back."

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><p>Dang I feel evil! I LIKE IT! Sorry looks like my history of playing the bad guy in plays is getting to me. Next chapter should be soon!<p> 


	4. Just Like Him

Poor Sammy in this chapter. Not sure why I like beating him up so much… I do love to see his bravery even when he's getting his butt kicked. Hurt!Sam fans, this is the chapter for you! Gosh I feel so evil writing for Gadreel and Metatron! I find writing villains easier than the heroes, it's pretty fun. Do I really have to say I own nothing? *Kripke bursts in. "Yes, you do." Fine I own nothing… (Except my plot twists. Eheheheh) And in case it's not clear, character's thoughts are in italics.

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><p>A loud crack echoed through the room. Sam cradled his now broken arm to his aching chest.<p>

"Let me in, Samuel."

"_God, is this déjà vu or what?"_

"Why me? You already… have a vessel… What? Bartender in a hoodie not… not cutting it for you?"

Sam screamed as he felt his other arm snap. His chest was already heaving from his damaged lings not getting enough oxygen. He panted heavily to keep from crying out.

"What if I told you I need you because we are so alike?"

"Well… in that case… I'd tell you… to bite me."

A sudden sensation of knives slicing into Sam caused him to groan liudly.

"I am not Lucifer, Samuel. I am not afraid to hurt you to gain a 'yes.'"

"Believe me… I spent… a hundred years with the guy… he grew out of it… Pretty sure if I can… hold out against Lucifer… I can handle you."

"You forget, Samuel, I was imprisoned since the beginning of time. I was tortured every day for centuries. Do not underestimate my ability to get what I want."

"Remind me…" Sam said sarcastically, "What were you imprisoned for again?"

Sam couldn't even describe the pain he felt. To say that every cell was on fire was an understatement. There was no holding back the agonized shout that burned in his throat.

"I made a mistake." Gadreel hissed, completely ignorant to Sam's cries of pain. "Now tell me, does the punishment fit the crime?"

If Sam had the energy, he would have rolled his eyes.

"Just… like… him." Sam's voice was barely above a whisper.

"What?"

"You and… Lu… Lucifer." Every breath became a chore. "You both… screwed up… so bad… but… you never take… take the blame."

Gadreel's face twitched to a scowl. All sings of pity were replaced with blinding rage.

"I was going to allow you to live, but clearly, there is no purpose to keeping you alive. If you are dead, there is no chance of sacrificing yourself to open the gates of heaven."

"Wh… what?" Sam had hardly even finished the word before a symphony of fire and ice exploded in his heart. He could only scream.

"I will make sure that nothing will be able to bring you back this time, Samuel."

"Oh, God!" Sam cried out as his back arched off the floor. "STOP, PLEASE!" Sam had sworn to himself that he wouldn't beg, but the agony was too much to endure. Besides the pain, he could think only one thing.

"_Dean…" _

* * *

><p>"Dean, we need to get back to Sam." Castiel said hoping to snap Dean out of his state of disbelief.<p>

"You sure you wanna do that Castiel?" Metatron asked. "Every angel knows how to control the Winchesters. They couldn't care less what happened to them, but as soon as the other brother is in danger…" Metatron let the sentence trail off into a sea of horrifying scenarios in Dean's mind. "Besides, I think Sam's made it pretty clear that he doesn't need you around."

Dean didn't flinch. He punched harder than he ever had before. He lost count of how many times.

"Dean, enough." Castiel commanded as he pulled Dean back.

"No, Cas," He shouted as he tore out of the angel's grip, "You know when it'll be enough?..." He bore his eyes into Metatron's. "When this bastard's done breathing."

Dean ripped the blade from Metatron's hand and prepared to finally end it.

But as soon as Metatron's hand was free, he grabbed the blade from his other hand and blocked Dean's attempt to stab him.

"Say 'hi' to Sammy for me…" Metatron taunted. "That is, it you get there in time." He smirked one last time, and disappeared.

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><p>Sam had given up on trying to hold back his choked sobs. His body was full of all kinds of bruises, and he was sure he'd had internal damage he'd never understand.<p>

Sam crashed into the side of the warehouse again and thudded to the floor. The impact mocked his broken arms.

Behind tear filled eyes. Sam saw something gleam.

"_The sword."_

He scrambled towards it, when suddenly a tall figure loomed over him.

Gadreel lifted his foot, and slammed it on top of Sam's arm. Sam cried out louder than he thought possible. His throat was almost raw from screaming.

The angel kicked Sam's side until he rolled onto his back. Sam didn't even blink as tears spilled out of his eyes.

"I truly am sorry, Sam, but you are the only one that is capable of reopening the gates of heaven. I cannot go back there."

"No, you can't." A familiar voice called. Suddenly a blade plunged through the centre of Gadreel's chest. "Cuz you're gonna burn in hell."

Dean yanked the word out as the angelic light illuminating Gadreel's face faded. The body slumped to the floor, lifeless.

A smile almost made its way to Sam's face as he whispered,

"Dean."

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><p>Dean to the rescue! Next chapter has Dean's POV so the end will have some familair dialogue, and the story goes on from there. By the way, I hand wrote this WHOLE story before typing it out so that's why I'm taking longer than usual to finish. On pencil and paper it's 19 pages long, and it's covered with cross outs and edits everywhere. And sorry if I seem overly excessive with me saying the character's names. To be fair though, they use them a BUNCH in the show, so I mostly do it just to stay true to the characters. For me, that's always the hardest part.<p> 


	5. How the Mighty Fall

Sorry if the constant POV changes and time jumps gets confusing. Mid-way through this chapter, it all comes together and there'll be no more jumping around. Protective!Dean fans, this one's for you! P.S. Chapter title from a Fall Out Boy song. (Love them!)

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><p>Dean stared at the empty wall where Metatron had been moments ago. He slammed his fist on, no, <em>through <em>the wall.

"DAMNIT!" He shouted as he pulled his fist out of the newly formed hole. His hand was spattered with blood, some of it his, most of it Metatron's.

"I'm sorry, Dean-"

"Shut up Cas! Just get me back to Sam!"

"Dean, we need to be prepared to fight. We can't simply storm in there. We have to wait for the appropriate time."

"Fine, Cas! Just take me back, damnit!"

Castiel sighed at Dean's outburst and reached out to Dean's head.

Dean opened his eyes and found himself back in Boise. Only this time, he wasn't right outside the warehouse, but he could see it in the distance.

"What the hell are we doing here?" Dean spun towards Castiel.

"If we get any closer, Gadreel will be able to sense our arrival."

"How are we supposed to know when to get in there?"

"I thought we ought to wait a few minutes and then-" Castiel was cut off by a bloodcurdling scream coming from the warehouse.

"SAM!" Dean started charging to the building.

"Dean, stop! We need to wait until-"

"Until what Cas?! He might not even be alive right now! I don't give a damn if he knows I'm coming! Let him know, cuz I am coming to kill that son of a bitch tonight! Now, TAKE ME, TO SAM!"

Dean didn't even notice Castiel placing his fingers above his brow.

When he looked at the scene unfolding before him, it made Dean's blood boil.

Gadreel was towering over a terrified and shuddering Sam. He was crushing Sam's arm, which appeared to be broken, under his foot. Gadreel's apathetic voice made Dean shudder.

"I truly am sorry, Sam."

"_No you're not, you lying bastard!" _Dean screeched in his mind. He silently approached behind Gadreel who was too busy torturing Sam to see him.

"But you are the only one capable of reopening the gates of heaven."

"_Crap, Sam's never letting that go now." _

"I cannot go back there."

"_Now, Dean!" _His mind screamed.

"No, you can't." He said stepping out of the shadows. He swung the blade and felt the resistance as it met flesh with a satisfying squish. "Cuz you're gonna burn in hell."

Dean pulled out the sword and looked down at his baby brother. A glint of hope gleamed in Sam's eyes.

"Dean."

"Sammy!" He let the sword clatter to the ground and bent over to Sam's side with Castiel right behind him. "Oh, God, what did he do to you?"

"I don't… suppose you'd… believe me if I… I said… I was fine." He joked wearily. He tried to let out a chuckle, but it turned into a series of coughs accompanied by blood dripping out from his mouth.

"Cas, do something!"

Castiel bent besides Sam and put a hand on his head. He waited, then stared down at Sam in confusion.

"I'm sorry, Dean, I can't heal him."

"Why the hell not?!"

"I don't-"

"Gadreel." Sam breathed out.

"What?"

"Gadreel… said he'd… make sure no… no one could… fix me."

Sam then mumbled something about 'only one.'

"What?" Dean asked.

Only some of Sam's words were audible. "I'm… only one… can... open heaven?"

Dean swallowed, feigning the tears in his eyes.

"Sammy, that doesn't matter right now. We're gonna fix you up okay? But you gotta keep fighting, man. I know it seems like I think you're not strong enough, but that's not true Sammy! I know you can handle doing stuff on your own, but I… I can't Sam. I need you." A lone tear finally fought its way through.

"How?" Sam's voice quaked.

"'How' what?"

"I want… to keep fi… fighting Dean… but… how?"

Dean smiled as tears of joy leaked out.

"How bout you just try to stay awake for now?"

"So… tired Dean." Sam eyelids started closing sluggishly.

"No, Sam, c'mon! You gotta stay awake!"

Sam tried to obey, but his whole body was so exhausted, and he finally succumbed to darkness.

"Sam! Sammy!" Dean lightly slapped Sam's face trying to wake him. "Don't do this to me, Sam!" Dean's voice quivered as he tried not to burst into hysteria.

"Cas, please, you gotta do something."

Castiel thought unblinkingly for a moment.

"There is one thing we could try."

"What? Anything!"

"We could try to extract some of my grace and give it to Sam. The grace could potentially heal him from the inside."

"Okay, fine! What do we have to do?"

"We have to get back to the bunker and retrieve the needle I used on Sam."

"Okay, that doesn't sound too bad!"

"Dean, there is a chance that Sam's body will reject the grace. My vessel is still struggling to adjust to the grace I stole. If Sam's body doesn't accept the grace, it will kill him."

Dean thought long before shaking his head and answering.

"It's the only change we got. If I don't do something, he's gonna die anyway. I can't let it happen again."

"Alright. Let's go."

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><p>I was listening to my iPod while writing this and Carry on my Wayward Son starts playing and I'm like " . . ." FEELS! Fun fact, right after i wrote the line "he finally succumbed to darkness, i fell asleep and took a two and a half hour nap. Oh, the irony.<p> 


	6. I Will Try to Fix You

For the record, I started this story at like nine o'clock at night, and stopped at 2:30 am. I then woke up at eight thirty, so this is the product of staying up late, and not getting enough sleep. I've put ya'll through the hurt, so here comes the comfort! Lots of brotherliness! Sorry if it's a little too mushy, but hey it ain't easy for a girl to write about how guys express their feelings! So I gave it my best shot! Again, title comes from a song. (Coldplay)

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><p>After the flap of wings, Castiel, Dean, and a still unconscious Sam landed at the bunker. Dean draped Sam's lengthy arm around his shoulder. He dragged him over to the chair previously used to get the grace out of him.<p>

"_Oh, the irony." _Dean thought.

Castiel had gone to retrieve the needle while the older hunter was busy laying Sam down. He suddenly heard Castiel groan loudly from the other room.

"Cas?!"

The angel stumbled into the room gripping the wall, unable to stand on his own.

"The… needle." He gasped out handing the grace filled syringe to Dean.

"Cas, you okay?"

"Fine, Dean I just… pulled out the… the grace a little… hastily."

Dean hurried to Sam's side and held the needle just above his collarbone.

"I'm sorry buddy. This uh, this probably ain't gonna be too pleasant... I just…I need you to remember to fight, okay? Stay with me, Sam."

He swallowed the disgust in his throat and slowly pushed the syringe through. Sam's eyes started darting beneath his closed eyelids and his body began weakly writhing on the table.

Dean tried to hold Sam down, but it was proving to be a difficult task since he only had the use of one arm.

"Cas, I need some help here!"

Castiel staggered towards the brothers.

"Take the needle, I'll hold Sam down." Dean commanded.

Dean grabbed Sam's arms and held them steady to the sides of the chair. Sam continued thrashing feebly, still unconscious. He cried out quietly, as though stifling a scream

"Sam, c'mon! You can do this." Dean soothed. "Remember what I said, you gotta keep fighting. You can do it, Sammy."

Sam's thrashing slowly died down as his chest rose and fell at an even pace.

"What's going on, Cas?"

Castiel looked down at Sam.

"It appears as though his body has accepted the grace."

"So, when's he gonna wake up?"

A low groan caused Dean's head to snap down to his baby brother.

"Sammy?"

Sam's eyes gradually opened and met Dean's gaze.

"Hey, you with me buddy?"

Sam blinked a few times to take in his surroundings.

"Yeah, I think."

Dean huffed a breathy laugh and threw his arms around _his _Sammy. Sam gratefully returned the hug, to Dean's surprise.

"Thank God." He waited a minute longer to pull out of the embrace. "What do you remember?"

Sam scoffed lightly.

"I remember Gadreel kicking the crap out of me, then you showed up and-" Sam scrunched up his face trying to confirm the memories in his head. "Did you kill Gadreel?"

"Yeah, I did."

"And Metatron?"

Dean swallowed nervously. Castiel answered for him.

"I'm sorry, Sam, but he got away. We had to choose between letting him go, and saving you."

"_Oh, great here comes the 'I could've handled it myself' speech." _

"Cas, could you give us a minute?" Dean asked. Cas nodded and vanished from the room. Dean took a deep breath.

"Thanks, Dean."

Dean shook his head processing what Sam had just said.

"What?"

Sam closed his eyes and smiled.

"I said 'thanks.' I… I probably wouldn't be here if you hadn't shown up."

Dean did a half smile.

"That's my job right? Come swooping in, and saving your ass?"

They laughed together for the first time in months. Dean relished in the moment, knowing the unavoidable was sitting at the back of Sam's mind.

"Dean, what did he mean I was the only one that could reopen heaven?"

"_There it is."_

Dean sighed deeply.

"Sammy, as much as I want to, I'm not gonna lie to you. It's what got us in this mess in the first place." He said laughing sadly. "Metatron he uh, he said something about the blood of someone special being able to open the gates."

He waited for Sam to give some kind of acknowledgement.

"Special how?"

Dean hesitated before answering. "It needs to be _all_ the blood of someone who's been to Purgatory, Heaven, Hell… and Lucifer's cage."

Sam looked down at the floor.

"Oh."

Dean bit the inside of his lip and shook his head gently.

"Sammy, listen to me-"

"But, Dean-"

"No! I don't care about putting those douche bags back where they came from if it means I'm gonna lose you! Even if I have to hunt down every single angel out there one by one, then fine! But i need you there with me. I'm not gonna do it alone. I need you, Sammy."

Sam exhaled heavily and closed his eyes.

"Okay."

Dean stepped back.

"'Okay?'"

Sam nodded gently.

"Okay, Dean. I won't do it."

Dean's mouth hung open slightly.

"Believe me, man, I'm real happy to hear you say that, but why?"

Sam took a breath.

"Because I know how it felt to live without you. When you were in hell, Dean, I tired anything I could to get you back. I can pretend to stay mad at you as long as I want, but the truth is, I would've done the same thing. I need you too, Dean."

They both made half smiles.

"Thanks, Sam."

They sat in the peaceful stillness both relieved beyond belief. Dean eventually broke the silence.

"Man, was that a 'chick flick' moment, or what?"

Sam laughed heartily.

"Jerk."

Dean smiled.

"Bitch."

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><p>I know they don't say that in season nine, but I'M BRINGING IT BACK! For a long time, I considered making this a death fic. I was either gonna have Sam's body not accept the grace, or Cas wasn't gonna last after giving some of his grace to Sam. Obviously I decided against it. Death fics make me sad, and I figured this story needed a happy ending. Thanks to everyone who read! Hope this helped you pass the time during the Hellatus! Happy hunting!<p> 


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